Palace of Versailles Fountains

The Palace garden is organised around alleyways that run parallel to the Royal Way and demarcate groves. Four fountains, one of the Palace of Versailles garden fountains, constructed in the 1670s and devoted to the four seasons stand at the intersections of the principal lanes.

On the north side, there are two fountains named after seasons: the Summer Fountain or Ceres Fountain and the Flora or Spring fountain. To the south side lies Bacchus or Autumn, and Saturn or Winter. Each of these represents a different season. All four fountains can be seen at once from a vantage position near the end of Latona's Parterre and the Royal Way's entrance.

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There are two Palace of Versailles Fountains constructed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, one on each side of the centre to the west of the Water Parterre. Incredibly realistic, they're made of battling animals. For those in the north, the Diana or Evening Fountain has two scenes depicting lions taking down wolves and wild boars, respectively, while those in the south have scenes depicting tigers taking down bears and bloodhounds taking down bucks (by Jacques Houzeau). There are two basins in each piece: one for the successful animals and one for the defeated ones.

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At the Dragon Fountain, the Water Walk comes to an end in a half-circle. An arrow fired by a young Apollo killed the serpent Python, in this work, which is based on a mythology about Apollo. This 27-metre-tall water jet is the highest among the Palace of Versailles Fountains in the gardens. France Victorious, on the south, and The Three Fountains, on the west, are two groves connected by lanes on either side of the 1889-replicated fountain.

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Le Nôtre supervised the construction of one of the Palace of Versailles Fountains, the Neptune Fountain from 1679 to 1682. At the time, it was called Lake of the Pines or Lake underneath the Dragon Fountain. A set of Neptune-themed sea sculptures were never erected under the reign of Louis XIV, despite the original design's intention.

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Edme Bouchardon, and the Lambert brothers contributed the final changes in 1740, when they added the three groups of sculpted features: Neptune and Amphitrite, Proteus, and Oceanus. Louis XV officially opened the new fountain, which was praised for the sheer number, size, and variety of water jets that fell around the lead statues. There are currently 99 jets in the hydraulic system, making it one of a kind.

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One of the Versailles Fountains in Latona's garden was inspired by Ovide's Metamorphoses. It shows how Latona, mother of Apollo and Diana, stood up for her children when the people of Lycia insulted them and begged Jupiter to help her. The god gives in and turns the people of Lycia into lizards and frogs.

The Marsy brothers carved Latona and her children out of marble which is kept in the center of the fountain. It was at this point when the goddess was staring toward the Palace. Between 1687 and 1689, Jules Hardouin-Mansart changed the design of this layout. The rock was turned into a pyramid made of marble, and the group that included Latona was turned so that it faced the Grand Canal. Latona's Fountain has a parterre with two Lizard Fountains today!

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The Lake of the Swans was a body of water that existed in this area as early as 1636, under the reign of Louis XIII. Later, Louis XIV added the golden figure of Apollo riding his chariot, which became one of the most recognisable pieces in the collection. It is one of the Versailles Fountains that has been designed by Le Brun and erected by Tuby. It shows the god jumping out of the water, getting ready for his daily flight over the earth.

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